The controversy surrounding Virat Kohli's social media activity has escalated, drawing in singer Rahul Vaidya and prompting a response from Kohli's brother, Vikas Kohli. The issue began when Virat Kohli "unintentionally" liked a photo of actress Avneet Kaur on Instagram, which led to criticism and trolling online. Kohli attributed the accidental like to Instagram's algorithm.
Rahul Vaidya then commented on the situation, referring to Virat Kohli as a "joker" for blaming the algorithm and also questioning why Kohli had blocked him on Instagram in the past. In a video, Vaidya sarcastically suggested that even the blocking could be blamed on Instagram's algorithm.
Vaidya's remarks sparked a significant backlash on social media, with Virat Kohli's fans reportedly targeting the singer and his family with abusive messages. Rahul Vaidya addressed the situation with paparazzi at the Mumbai airport, clarifying that he had called Kohli a "joker" and not "crazy," and mentioned the abuse he and his family received online. He also stated that he meant no disrespect to Kohli and questioned why he was blocked on Instagram.
In response to Rahul Vaidya's comments, Virat Kohli's brother, Vikas Kohli, has strongly defended his brother. Vikas Kohli criticized Vaidya, calling him a "loser" and accusing him of trying to gain followers by using Virat Kohli's name. Vikas Kohli emphasized that the nation is currently dealing with serious issues and that Vaidya is just trying to gain fame through the cricketer's name. Vikas Kohli also reportedly told Vaidya to focus on his singing career.
Virat Kohli has not yet responded to Rahul Vaidya's comments directly. Earlier, Kohli had posted a clarification on social media regarding the accidental like, stating, "I'd like to clarify that while clearing my feed, it appears the algorithm may have mistakenly registered an interaction. There was absolutely no intent behind it. I request that no unnecessary assumptions be made. Thank you for your understanding".
This is not the first time Vikas Kohli has defended his brother. He recently criticized Sanjay Manjrekar for comments about RCB batters' strike rates in the IPL.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is currently a top performer in the Indian Premier League 2025, with 505 runs in 11 innings, averaging 63.12 with a strike rate of 143.46.